Knights Don’t Back Down vs. D-II Competition at MSU Open

MANKATO, Minn. – With the Knights competing exclusively against racers from NCAA Division II institutions, Colette Celichowski (So./Shorewood, Minn./Minnetonka) and Ruth Steinke (Fy./Lima, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima) finished 1-2 in the mile run, crossing the line at 5:12.43 and 5:13.26, respectively, to highlight several strong performances by the Carleton College women’s track and field team at the Minnesota State-Mankato Open.

Steinke dropped more than six seconds off her time from the week before and had a busy night, returning to the track to combine with Haley Johnson (Jr./Golden Valley, Minn./Robbinsdale Cooper) on a 3-4 finish in the 1000-meter run. Johnson ran a strong, confident race to post a time of 3:03.07, while Steinke finished a second later. Aly Wisekal (Jr./East Setauket, N.Y.) added a personal best time in the mile.

“Once again our middle distance runners demonstrated that they are a force to be reckoned with,” said Carleton head coach Donna Ricks. “Colette ran a structurally sound race, running a tremendous time in her first mile of the season.”

While the sprinters may not have finished as high in the standings, they continued to show early-season improvements. Emma Russ (Fy./Inver Grove, Minn./Simley) and

Kayla McKinsey (Fy./North Easton, Mass./Oliver Ames) shaved more than a half-second off their 200-meter dash times, finishing at 27.20 and 27.39 respectively.

The 4x400-meter relay team of Russ, Reilly Simon (Fy./Grapevine, Texas/Grapevine), McKinsey and Celichowski posted an nine-second improvement from a week ago.

On Friday, Amelia Campbell (Fy./Sturgeon Bay, Wis./Sturgeon Bay) continued the strong start to her rookie season with a fourth-place showing during the pentathlon on day one of the MSU Open.

Campbell finished with 3,079 points, the fourth-highest figure in program history. She started the competition with a third-place result in the 60-meter hurdles at 9.50 seconds. She then tied for first in the high jump at 5 feet, 1 inch before taking seventh in the long jump (15 feet, 7 inches) and eighth in the shot put. Campbell closed the evening as the fourth-fastest racer in the 800-meter run.

“The start of the season is always exciting with the promise of what lies ahead,” said Ricks, “especially when I see how hard these women are working, and that they are striving to be the best athletes that they can become.”

Another example of this came on Friday evening at the St. Olaf Invitational. Jocelyn Friedman (Sr./Mount Kisko, N.Y./Fox Lane), in her first season on the squad, continues to improve as she develops her throwing technique. She advanced to the finals in the weight throw and finished seventh overall, bettering her personal best by more than two feet.